Category: 2022 NFL draft

Texans take LSU OT Austin Deculus No. 205 overall in Round 6 of 2022 NFL draft

The Houston Texans selected former LSU tackle Austin Deculus with the No. 205 overall pick in Round 6 of the 2022 NFL draft.

The Houston Texans started off their class with an LSU Tiger and have finished with another one.

The Texans selected tackle Austin Deculus with the No. 205 overall pick in Round 6 of the 2022 NFL draft on Saturday.

Deculus provides depth for the Texans at their bookend positions. The starters are well established in left tackle Laremy Tunsil and right tackle Tytus Howard. Deculus can provide depth along with Charlie Heck, a 2020 fourth-rounder from North Carolina, as he develops into the swing tackle role.

Houston had great fortune with their sixth-rounder last year as defensive tackle Roy Lopez developed into a 15-game starter for the Texans.

Titans select Tennessee DB Theo Jackson with 204th overall pick

With the 204th overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft, the Titans selected Tennessee DB Theo Jackson.

With the 204th overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft, the Tennessee Titans  kept it local and selected Tennessee defensive back, Theo Jackson.

We are finally approaching the end of the Titans’ draft. Tennessee has just one more pick, which will come at No. 219 in the sixth round.

More coming…

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Instant analysis: Jaguars select Ole Miss RB Snoop Conner with pick No. 154

Here is a breakdown of new Jacksonville Jaguars RB Snoop Conner who they selected in the fifth round.

The Jacksonville Jaguars made a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles to move up three spots in the fifth round of this week’s draft to add some depth to their offense with pick No. 154. They ended up selecting Ole Miss running back Snoop Conner with the pick, making him the fifth member of the Jags 2022 draft class. In exchange, they gave up two of their sixth-round picks in No. 188 and No. 198.

They also still held the No. 157 pick but sent that one and their seventh-round pick at No. 235 in exchange for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ fourth-round selection next season. That left the Jags with two picks in this year’s draft, which were selections No. 197 and No. 222.

It’s not surprising to see the Jaguars take a running back on Day 3 since their top-2 running backs James Robinson and Travis Etienne are coming off of season-ending injuries. Etienne was Jacksonville’s second first-round pick in 2021 and suffered a Lisfranc injury during rookie minicamp. Robinson suffered a torn Achilles on Dec. 26 versus the New York Jets.

Coach Doug Pederson said Etienne should take part in workouts this offseason while Robinson won’t be ready until the start of training camp. That said, Conner could get a decent amount of practice snaps in as the Jags should ease Robinson back into the mix.

He played three seasons with the Rebels, tallying 1,580 career rushing yards and 26 touchdowns on 304 carries. In Conner’s final season, he racked up 647 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns and averaged five yards per carry. He also caught 14 passes for 82 yards.

NFL.com says Conner is a violent runner but doesn’t allow that mindset to prevent him from seeking out less-trafficked pathways with his vision. He had a poor showing at the NFL scouting combine but still has three-down talent and projects as a good committee back.

The Jaguars got a good pickup in Conner who will bring a physical skillset to their running back rotation.

See it: Giants’ full 2022 NFL draft class

The 2022 NFL draft has come and gone for the New York Giants, so here’s a quick look at their 11-player draft class.

The 2022 NFL draft has officially come and gone and after multiple Day 2 trade backs, the New York Giants ended up with 11 total picks.

They made all 11 of those choices and came away with several Day 1 starters, a few role players and several depth guys. It wasn’t perfect for first-year general manager Joe Schoen, but there’s no doubt the Giants got better over the course of three days.

Here’s a quick look at the Giants’ entire 2022 draft class.

Cowboys select Oklahoma State LB Devin Harper with No. 193 pick

Dallas nabbed another 30 visit and selected Oklahoma State LB Devin Harper, boosting the Cowboys linebacker room with their final pick. | From @CDBurnett7

Dallas has Micah Parsons at the linebacker spot but they added much more at the position. Oklahoma State’s Devin Harper is the latest addition to the group that now features LSU’s Damone Clark as well.

Tyler Browning detailed Harper’s potential fit alongside Parsons, with his athleticism being his biggest advantage.

Harper is another 30 visit, I view as a player you try to stash on your practice squad and let him develop. He can maybe find a home on special teams, but pretty much every aspect of his game could use improvement. He is not reliable in coverage, but it is probably where he shows the most promise. He does not take good pursuit angles, and his tackling is suspect at times. He needs time to develop in coverage, his power, and his pass rushing repertoire. He does present favorable athletic testing as he scored a 9.49 in his RAS score.

The Cowboys stuck to their 30 visits, and Quinn got his guys for the defense. Barring any surprise moves, Harper is the Cowboys’ final pick in the 2022 NFL draft and they addressed the biggest holes on their team well.

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Who is Jordan Jackson, the Saints’ 6th round draft pick?

Who is Jordan Jackson, the Saints’ 6th round draft pick?

Interesting: the New Orleans Saints spent their final (for now, barring a late-round trade) pick in the 2022 NFL draft on Jordan Jackson, a defensive tackle coming out of the Air Force Academy. Like former Saints tight end Garrett Griffin, another Air Force product, Jackson has been granted deferred commitment for service and can play for the Saints this year, per NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill.

Jackson, 24, missed the 2020 season with a shoulder injury but returned in 2021 to rack up 12.5 tackles for loss (7.5 sacks) while starting all 13 games and being named a team captain. He started 37 of the 49 games he played in college, totaling 15.5 sacks and 29.5 tackles for loss, and posted an impressive Relative Athletic Score of 9.13 at 6-foot-4 and 294 pounds. Hopefully he can add a lot of juice to the Saints’ interior line rotation with David Onyemata and backups like Shy Tuttle, Kentavius Street, and Jaleel Johnson.

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Jags trade up with Eagles to take RB Snoop Conner with pick No. 154

The Jags added some depth to their running backs room in the fifth-round by selecting Snoop Conner.

The Jacksonville Jaguars came into the 2022 NFL Draft with 12 picks, which gave them the ammo needed to move around in the event. They took advantage of it and have made three trades so far.

The first, of course, was in Round 1 where the team moved up to the 27th pick to take linebacker Devin Lloyd. To get there, they traded picks No. 33, No. 106, and No. 180.

However, they didn’t want to stop there. On Saturday, they traded up again, but this time with the Philadelphia Eagles in the fifth round, acquiring pick No. 154 for picks No. 188 and 198. Afterward, the Jags went on to select Ole Miss running back Snoop Conner.

The Jags were expected to take a running back Day 3 by many, but Conner wasn’t the one fans had in mind. With options like Jerome Ford, Kyren Williams, and Tyler Badie still available, many were eyeing them as potential options.

As for Conner, the Jags are getting a 5-foot-10, 222-pound north and south runner who can come in and serve as an option behind Travis Etienne and James Robinson, who suffered major injuries last season as the former had a Lisfranc injury and the latter had an Achilles tear.

While at Ole Miss, Conner accumulated 1,580 career rushing yards and 26 touchdowns. Last season, he was able to garner 647 of those total yards and 13 touchdowns.

Instant analysis and grade for Titans selecting WR Kyle Philips

The Titans appear to have gotten a good one in UCLA WR Kyle Philips.

The Tennessee Titans continued their revamp of the receiving corps. during the 2022 NFL draft by selecting UCLA wide receiver Kyle Philips in the fifth round (No. 163 overall). He is the second receiver drafted by Tennessee after the team took Arkansas wideout Treylon Burks in the first round.

Philips will work exclusively from the slot at the next level and brings an intriguing skill set with him that could lead to his seeing significant snaps right away.

While he isn’t overly fast, he’s got the kind of quickness to make tacklers miss in the open field and be very good after the catch.

Philips is a fairly polished route-runner who is quick and explosive out of his breaks, which allows him to get separation. He also has great hands and good ball skills, further making him an ideal option when the Titans need to move the chains on third down.

The UCLA product brings extra value thanks to his experience returning punts, where he excelled in college.

Philips averaged 18 yards per return the last three seasons, including a 2019 campaign that saw him score a return touchdown and average 22.5 yards per attempt.

Philips checks multiple boxes for the Titans and is a good fit. My only qualm — and it’s a minor one — is his inability to do much else in the offense other than lining up out of the slot.

Grade: B+

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Cowboys return to Arkansas, steal DT John Ridgeway with final 5th-round pick in 2022 draft

Dallas hasn’t dipped into Jerry Jones’ alma mater in a while, and they get a steal of a DT in the process. | From @KDDrummondNFL

The Dallas Cowboys have been having themselves a heck of a Day 3 of the 2022 NFL draft. With six picks on the day including five in the fifth round, Dallas has been sizing up specific targets all weekend. Each selection has been one the club has telegraphed and the final pick of the four fifths is similar.

Owner Jerry Jones is one of the proudest alums from the University of Arkansas, but for the first time since Felix Jones, the Cowboys have gone there with the selection of DT John Ridgeway. Ridgeway is a mammoth nose tackle, weighing in at 321 pounds, and will help Dallas on early downs in shutting down the run.

A transfer from Illinois State, Ridgeway was seen as a potential third-round pick from The Draft Network and Dane Brugler of The Athletic. To get him near the end of the third round is great value.

From The Draft Network:

In his one year at Arkansas, Ridgeway was able to make an impression and took on some of the best offensive lines the SEC has to offer. The Razorbacks played a grueling schedule which was a good test for the FCS transfer, playing programs like Alabama, Georgia, Texas, Auburn, and Penn State. Ridgeway passed the test. Ridgeway served as the anchor for the Razorback defense and was consistently able to take on double teams and be a disruptive force in the middle of the defense. Ridgeway has natural strength and heavy hands that, when he shoots his hands, can knock back the offensive lineman and literally press their upper body backward. Ridgeway plays in a low stance where he is able to play with good leverage, which makes him a difficult player to move even with double teams. On the next level in the right scheme, Ridgeway can be an immediate starter and can become an instant run-stopping interior defensive lineman.

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Cowboys select LSU LB Damone Clark with No. 176 pick

While spinal fusion surgery will keep him out in 2022, Dallas selected LSU LB Damone Clark, a top talent if he makes a full recovery. | From @CDBurnett7

In 2021, the Cowboys struck gold at the linebacker position, drafting Micah Parsons who turned into a superstar during his rookie season. LSU product Jabril Cox fell under the radar and earned extra playing time, but a torn ACL ended what could’ve been a quick rise.

Dallas went to the LSU linebacker idea again, this time it’s Damone Clark. He was a Butkus Award finalist and first team All-SEC player but he underwent spinal fusion surgery on March 24. Clark likely won’t play in the 2022 season so it’ll be a redshirt pick for the Cowboys but there’s no question about his talent.

If Clark is the same player that made 15.5 tackles for loss in his final college season in 2023, Dallas got a steal at No. 176.

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